A capsized 24-foot fishing boat is lowered aboard a Royal Netherlands Navy ship on Feb. 6, 2014, about 75 miles off West Palm Beach, Fla. / Royal Netherlands Navy

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Three suspected migrants are dead and two are missing in the Atlantic Ocean after a capsized boat was found about 75 miles off South Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard reported Thursday.

Seven people were rescued from atop the hull of the 24-foot "center console" vessel by a Royal Netherlands Navy patrol ship, the Coast Guard said. Three bodies were found inside the overturned fishing boat.

The Zeeland was bound for Key West when it came across the boat about noon off West Palm Beach.

The Coast Guard dispatched a cutter from Miami and an HC-130 aircraft from Clearwater to search for the missing passengers.

It was not immediately clear where the migrants had come from or how long they had been at sea.

The Dutch vessel, which is equipped with advanced radar, is deployed to seek out pirates, smugglers and other lightly armed criminals.